Public Statements

Governor Tomblin Announces State Sets Record Export Growth for Third Consecutive Year

Press Release

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced for the third consecutive year West Virginia exports reached a record level, in 2012. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce show the state's exports grew from $9 billion in 2011 to $11.3 billion in 2012. West Virginia companies exported to 136 countries in 2012.

"Last year, West Virginia's exports grew by 25 percent, surpassing the national growth rate of 4.6 percent," said Gov. Tomblin. "Exports are a valuable contributor to our state's economic growth and stability. While coal continues to be our traditional strength, our top exports also included manufactured products such as plastics, chemicals, machinery and components for medical, automotive and aerospace applications."

Coal exports grew 40 percent, increasing from $5.3 billion in 2011 to $7.4 billion in 2012. West Virginia coal accounted for 49 percent of U.S. coal exports in 2012. The top markets for West Virginia coal with the largest growth were Japan (growing from $29 million in 2011 to $395 million in 2012) and China (growing from $93 million in 2011 to $567 million in 2012).

Country

W.Va. Coal Exports (2012)

1

Netherlands

$801 million

2

Italy

$698 million

3

India

$689 million

4

China

$567 million

5

Brazil

$558 million

6

South Korea

$520 million

7

United Kingdom

$457 million

8

Turkey

$403 million

9

Japan

$395 million

10

France

$383 million

Plastics, the state's second largest product sector, reached the $1 billion level for the second year in a row. Products from manufacturing sectors grew from $3.5 billion to a record $3.67 billion.

Products

Value of W.Va. exports (2012)

1

Plastics

$1 billion

2

Machinery

$834 million

3

Chemicals

$426 million

4

Aerospace components

$283 million

5

Medical devices/products

$271 million

6

Automotive components

$168 million

7

Aluminum

$119 million

8

Wood products

$ 90 million

9

Electrical machinery

$ 75 million

10

Rubber products

$ 64 million

West Virginia's top 10 markets for non-coal exports are:

Country

Value of WV non-coal exports (2012)

1

Canada

$1.3 billion

2

China

$370 million

3

Japan

$352 million

4

Belgium

$204 million

5

Germany

$173 million

6

Mexico

$152 million

7

Netherlands

$127 million

8

Brazil

$124 million

9

South Korea

$ 86 million

10

United Kingdom

$ 83 million

The International Division of the West Virginia Development Office (WVDO) offers export promotion services to small and medium-sized businesses. For information on WVDO trade shows, trade missions and other services, visit www.worldtradewv.com.